New Delhi, August 9 (IANS): As the nation observed the 75th anniversary of the 'Quit India' movement, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday called for the creation of a "new India" free of corruption and poverty by 2022. The next five years could be as important as the five years between 1942, when the 'Quit India' movement was launched, and 1947, when India got its Independence, the Prime Minister said, speaking in the Lok Sabha here. "From 2017 to 2022, when India turns 75, we need to create the same spirit that existed from 1942 to 1947." In his nearly 40-minute speech, Modi recalled the role of Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Lal Bahadur Shastri, Chandrashekhar Azad, Sukhdev, Jayaprakash Narayan and others. Congress President Sonia Gandhi, who spoke after the Prime Minister, however, expressed fear that the very foundation of India democracy was threatened by divisive forces. Without naming anyone, she said there were some organisations and people who did not participate in the 'Quit India' movement, and thus made no contribution to India's Independence (from the British rule). Modi urged people to take a pledge to end corruption, poverty, malnutrition and illiteracy, besides ensuring gender equality. "We need to bring a positive change in this regard. Today, a similar call (like Mahatma Gandhi's 'Quit India' call made in 1942) and determination are needed to weed out corruption from our country," the Prime Minister said, adding a lot can be achieved with determination by a collective conscience.
